


Felt-tip Tattoos

by Carlamberlaining



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Arsenal FC, Established Relationship, Family, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-05
Updated: 2015-06-05
Packaged: 2018-04-03 00:11:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4079176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carlamberlaining/pseuds/Carlamberlaining
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack is a single parent and invites Woj round. His kids make the most of it. Fluff, fluff, fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Felt-tip Tattoos

**Author's Note:**

> ~None of this is true (at least as far as I'm aware), Jack and Lauren are still together etc etc~

“Archie!” Woj exclaimed as the little man opened the door for him. God knows how he managed; he was only about 3 feet high, nowhere near tall enough to reach the handle. He scooped the boy up into his arms, pretending to fly him like an aeroplane before setting him down again. Apparently that isn’t what Archie wanted and he grabs Woj’s legs tightly before sitting on his feet.

“You’d make the best dad, Woj, all the kids love you mate,” a voice behind him said.

Woj turned carefully (he didn’t want Archie to hit the floor) to see Jack behind him and they performed the elaborate handshake they’d done since they were at academy together. Jack started walking back into the kitchen and Woj attempted to follow him, realising his attempts were futile due to the pair of hands gripping his legs. No, he corrected himself, pair _s_ for now Delilah had joined in too and for a pair of toddlers they were unbelievably strong.

“Uh...Jack? Could do with a little help here,” but all Jack did was snort and shake his head, laughing.

“You’re on your own there mate.”

Woj attempted to take baby steps in the direction of Jack but tripped over when a small hand readjusts its grip on his kneecap. He’s fallen face first into the plush carpet and all he can think is what the hell did I do to embarrass myself this much? He looks up from the soft pile and sees Jack creasing up at him. 

“You know, for a goal keeper, you’ve got shit balance.”

“And for a dad,” Woj retorts, “you’ve got _awful_ language.”

He’s still on the floor as he’s saying this and realises, much too late of course, that the kids have got felt tips and are drawing their versions of ‘’tattoos’’ all over his legs. He tries to wiggle his legs away but Delilah sits on them forcefully, making sure he doesn’t go anywhere. Woj doesn’t have the heart to push her off.  
Still laughing, Jack doesn’t want to forget this- its excellent banter material, so he grabs his iPhone and captures the moment. Of course, there’s no chance he wouldn’t share Woj’s moment of embarrassment across every social media site he’s part of either.

***

They’re sitting at the kitchen table, the kids in bed, sharing a bottle of wine. Jack has a flannel in his hand, trying to rub off the _…interesting_ felt tip drawings which litter Woj’s legs. It’s not working, the drawings are drawn in permanent marker and although he won’t admit it, Woj doesn’t deal with pain very well- the scrubbing of the flannel ruins his “delicate skin” as he likes to say. Eventually they give up and start a game of trying to guess what the kids drew.

“I’ve got no fucking clue mate… a trophy?” Jacks suggests, squinting at a wobbly diagram. It’s plausible, he thinks, “Maybe it’s the FA cup?”

“Naah that’s definitely a trophy for the most handsome man in the room,” Woj replies with all the ease in the world, his self-confidence never ceasing to amaze Jack. He sweeps his hair back, as if to demonstrate his point and a smug smile graces his face.

“Cheers mate. Means a lot that you see me like that,” and Jack’s smirking, because sure Woj can come up with stuff like that, but Jack can match it, and he knows Woj finds it infuriating.

Szczesney just rolls his eyes, “Someone’s not feeling modest today, hey Jack?”

“Hypocrite!” he says with a huff but then continues, “Fine then, it’s a trophy for the best dad so it still belongs to me,” not willing to let the matter drop, despite knowing he was acting like a child. His resilience and fight were part of his charm after all. He sat back, expecting that irritating look to drop from Woj’s face as the greatness of his comeback sank in. It never did though; Woj just raised his eyebrows, noticing how frustrated Jack was getting. 

“But Wilsh,” Woj starts, “that’s not what you said earlier! What was it, “You’d make the best dad Woj” -yep I think that trophy belongs to me.” After a minute’s thought he added with a wink, “and you know I’d win it for being the most handsome too.”

Jack was about to answer back, until the pattering of feet across the kitchen tiles distracted him. The little boy stumbled round the corner, grabbing a teddy bear dressed in a too-big arsenal shirt. 

“Daaaaddy, can’t sleep,” came the little voice and Woj couldn’t help but smile at how cute he was. The cuteness didn’t distract him and he quickly planned an easy way to resolve their debate.

“Archie,” Woj called across to him, “can I ask you a question?”

The little boy needed sleepily, dressed in his Thomas the Tank Engine pyjamas and leaning against his dad’s leg. Jack lifted him up onto his knee, and Woj had to concede, he really did make a great dad. Not that he would tell him that of course, that would be far too generous and Woj wasn’t willing to lose their battle. Not just yet.

Instead he opted to talk to Archie before it was too late and the little man fell asleep. “Archie, who do you think is more handsome- me or your dad?” leaning back to await the answer, he grinned at Jack who just glared at him; he knew what the answer would be. 

“Um, Dada,” he replied drowsily, half muffled by a yawn but this was enough for Jack to grin triumphantly at Woj.

“Sorry mate, the little lad has spoken looks like it belongs to me!” 

Woj could tell Jack was pleased with himself, most of the time Archie chose Woj because, well, it was Woj and the two boys got on well. (It was also probably something to do with the mountain of toys and sweets Woj brought with him every time he visited.) Jack almost envied their relationship but at the same time it made him happy to think that the most important people in his life got along so well.

He was, however, pulled out of his internal rambling by a sleepy voice, “No. Not Daddy, Dada,” and with that Archie pointed as enthusiastically (not very, considering how tired he was) as he could towards Woj, who was sitting there half stunned, half proud as hell. It seemed to take too much out of Archie though, for only a few seconds later he was sound asleep in his dad’s arms and was carried off to bed.

***

Jack returned 10 minutes later, Archie safely tucked up in his own bed. Jack was frowning, but not in a grumpy way, just his ‘deep-in-thought’ face. Woj thought it was one of the most attractive things about Jack, but he’d never admit to it.

It wasn’t the only thing Woj was thinking about though. He didn’t know how to feel about being called “dada”, he loved the fact that the kids saw him as part of the family but he didn’t want to replace Lauren, should she ever return from her, well, wherever she claimed to have gone. It was something Woj definitely wanted, to move in with Jack would be the best thing to happen to him, but he didn’t know how Jack felt and didn’t want to push it. He was comfortable with his feelings but he knew Jack, despite his exterior, was insecure and didn’t really express emotions ever. 

He came out of his thought bubble when Jack pushed a topped up glass of wine into his hand. He took a sip, preparing to say something, when Jack traced one of the pictures on his leg. 

“It looks like us, doesn’t it,” he whispered to Woj. Peering closely, he could sort of see what Jack meant, there were definitely two taller stick figures and some wobbly drawings of their faces. Between them were two smaller ‘people’, if you could describe them as that.

“Dya reckon- I mean, do you think they see me as part of the family?” Woj’s face was unsure, he didn’t want to offend Jack but he wanted to know, didn’t want to misinterpret the situation. Nothing he could do removed the flash of hope in his eyes as he looked at Jack though.

Jack was grateful for that, that he knew Woj's eyes well enough to see it, else he would have thought Woj was embarrassed, offended- angry even. But it wasn’t enough for him to be sure and so it was with almost trembling fingers that he replied.

“I think so, I mean, yeah, well, I do mate, at least if that’s okay with you?” and his stumbled, slightly confused sentence had a magical effect on Szczesney who smiled widely and embraced Jack in a rare show of affection.

“I’d love that Wilsh,” he says honestly, “I love you.”

***

Not much changes in the following months but Woj doesn’t go back to his house anymore, Jack’s place is his home. Jack’s place was where he stayed, with the man he loved and the family who loved him. 

Jack’s never been happier, not since Lauren left him, and come to think of, since before her as well. He goes about the house happier, even his language has improved (well, except for some choice words at a certain trophy celebration). It was only when he was flicking through his phone early one morning that he came across the photo of Woj on the floor again, the kids drawing all over his legs.

He wakes Woj up to show him and Woj doesn’t even mind the interruption of his precious sleep schedule, because it was a moment that meant a lot to him as well.  
“You were right you know,” Jack whispers, “you do win the trophy for being the best dad.”

Woj blushes, “No that’s all you Wilsh,” and he can see Jack about to interrupt so he continues, “but I still win the most handsome.”

And they both nod, happy with their agreement before falling back asleep, arms wrapped round each other.


End file.
